LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall volleyball team defeated local foe Lancaster Bible by a 3-0 score on Tuesday evening to run the team's record to 11-2 on the season. The Diplomats hit .353 as a team throughout the victory and have now blanked their opponents during nine of those first 11 victories heading into Centennial Conference play which opens on Saturday. F&M entered Tuesday night's contest continuing to receive votes in the latest national top 25 poll.

The Diplomats' best hitting percentage of the night came right out of the gates as they swung at a .433 clip during the first set en route to a 25-17 opening game. Five different players had multiple kills during that set as the Diplomats never trailed following Mya Anderson's kill just five points into the match. The second game was the closest of the night by score, but the latest the host Chargers had that game tied was at five-all. F&M won five consecutive points behind the service game of Coco Shultz from that point on – and 16 of the next 24 overall – before eventually taking a 25-19 victory.

Looking to close out the sweep, Franklin & Marshall was leading 20-17 late in the third set before another strong service from Shultz closed the match. The Diplomats saw Shultz step to the line after a Chargers' service error and it was three consecutive kills from Ceci Connolly that ultimately put the finishing touches on Tuesday's victory.

Melissa Benkowitz led the Diplomats with 10 kills as she finished with a double-double after registering 13 digs, while Connolly's strong finish gave her on a .750 hitting percentage for the match with nine kills in just 12 swings. Avery Grantham (eight kills) added a .462 hitting percentage to her team's efforts, while Gianna Mangiamele (seven kills), Shultz (six kills), and Anderson (five kills) all turned in strong performances. Both Grantham and Connolly added multiple blocks throughout the contest to finish with double-digit point totals. Liah Perez and Carly Campbell put the offense in motion with 21 and 15 assists, respectively.

Volleyball will now turn its attention to the start of Centennial Conference play this Saturday when the Diplomats travel to Muhlenberg for a 1 p.m. start in Allentown. That contest will be a rematch of the 2023 Centennial Conference Tournament first round contest which the Diplomats claimed by a 3-1 score last season.